September is Gynecologic Cancers Awareness Month

join with the aacr to find better ways to prevent and treat gynecologic cancers

Gynecologic cancers are cancers of the female reproductive system, including the cervix, ovaries, uterus, vagina, and vulva. Anyone with female reproductive organs is at risk for these cancers.

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 110,850 women in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with a gynecological cancer in 2025. Furthermore, about 32,680 are estimated to die from one. Each gynecological cancer has different signs and symptoms, as well as different risk factors. As with most cancer, the risk of developing a gynecologic cancer increases with age.

The major categories of gynecologic cancers

Cervical Cancer

According to the World Health Organization, infection of the cervix with human papillomavirus (HPV) is almost always the cause of cervical cancer. Consequently, vaccination against HPV and regular screening for HPV infection are highly effective ways to prevent cervical cancer.

Ovarian Cancer

There are three types of ovarian cancer in adults. These include ovarian epithelial cancer, which begins in the tissue covering the ovary, in the lining of the fallopian tube, or in the peritoneum; ovarian germ cell tumors, which start in the egg cells; and ovarian borderline tumors, which begin in the tissue covering the ovary and rarely become cancerous.

Uterine Cancer

Uterine cancer forms in the tissues of the uterus, the organ in which a fetus develops. The two types of uterine cancer are endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma.

Endometrial cancer forms in the tissues of the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. Obesity, diabetes, and certain genetic conditions may increase the risk of endometrial cancer. Uterine sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that forms in the uterine muscles or in tissues that support the uterus. Exposure to radiation therapy near the pelvis can increase the risk of uterine sarcoma.

Treatment with the breast cancer drug tamoxifen is a risk factor for both types of uterine cancer.

Vaginal Cancer

There are two main types of vaginal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma, which forms from cells that line the inside of the vagina, and adenocarcinoma, which forms in the glands that secrete mucus. Squamous cell carcinoma is more common and typically spreads slowly, but adenocarcinoma is more likely to spread to the lungs and lymph nodes.

Risk factors for vaginal cancer include infection with HPV and having had a hysterectomy for benign or cancerous tumors. A rare type of adenocarcinoma is linked to being exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) before birth. Adenocarcinomas that aren’t linked with being exposed to DES are most common in women after menopause.

Vulvar Cancer

Vulvar cancer forms in a woman’s external genitalia, most often the outer vaginal lips.

A precancerous condition called vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) occurs when abnormal cells grow in the skin of the vulva. VIN can be a precursor to vulvar cancer, but proper treatment may help prevent VIN from worsening.

Risk factors for vulvar cancer include having VIN, HPV infection, and/or having a history of genital warts.

ONE WOMAN’S STORY

When Margie Wilson’s gynecologist recommend she see an oncologist, she wasn’t even aware what oncologists treat. Diagnosed with endometrial cancer, Wilson had surgery that removed her uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and some lymph nodes, followed by radiation and chemotherapy to reduce the risk of recurrence. Now she offers support to other Black women with endometrial cancer to help educate them about their treatment options as well as the lower survival rates for Black women with this cancer type compared to white women. Read more about her story on Cancer Today.

What the AACR is Doing in Gynecologic cancer research

Scientific Conferences

On September 19-21, 2025, the AACR will hold the 7th Biennial Special Conference on Ovarian Cancer in Denver, Colorado. Researchers and clinicians will discuss the latest advances in early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer as well as issues related to survivorship.
In November 2023, the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Endometrial Cancer: Transforming Care Through Science, addressed prevention and screening, targeted therapies, and metabolic and immunologic approaches, among other topics.

Supporting Research

The AACR recently awarded research grants to investigators pursuing promising research related to gynecologic cancers:

In 2024, Camilla Salvagno, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, received an AACR-Incyte Immuno-oncology Research Fellowship. Her research focuses on developing new therapeutic strategies against ovarian cancer, including the generation and maintenance of T_RM CD8+ T cells that eliminate metastatic ovarian cancer.
In 2024, Ijeoma M. Ifeorah, BMLS, MSc, PhD, of the Center for Translation and Implementation Research University of Nigeria Nsukka, received an AACR Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat). She is working to screen women living with HIV in Nigerian to identify strains of high-risk human papillomavirus, which is a key risk factor of cervical cancer, and their sub-lineages.
In 2024, Aisha Mustapha, MBBS, MDRM, MRH, of Ahmadu Bello University, received an AACR Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat). Her work involves assessing the genetic landscape of epithelial ovarian cancers in Nigeria.
In 2024, Louise Fets, PhD, of MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, received a Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Career Development Award, in Partnership With Pelotonia and the AACR. She is looking to better understand the mechanisms behind why ovarian cancer becomes resistant to treatment with PARP inhibitors.

For more information about cervical cancer, uterine cancer (endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma), vaginal cancer, and vulvar cancer please see our individual pages for each cancer type.